Elite Women this year are changing workplace structures around them
By unveiling the Elite Women 2026 report, the sixth annual list of its kind, Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer are spotlighting 105 outstanding female leaders in the legal profession across Australia and across New Zealand.
The Elite Women for this year include:
The report reveals some commonalities across this year’s cohort of exemplary women in law. They are reshaping what female legal leaders look like and redesigning workplace structures around them, including by altering how firms operate.
Specifically, the Elite Women for 2026 are promoting flexible work arrangements, rewarding staff members in non-traditional ways, and opening firm governance to staff below partner level.
The top female lawyers are also focusing on helping their fellow women get the recognition they deserve. They are sponsoring junior women instead of merely mentoring them and continuing to support them after their promotions.
Last June, Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer asked legal professionals from Australia and New Zealand to nominate the leading ladies in law, specifically those working in positions linked to the legal profession, showing a passion for the law, and demonstrating influence within the profession.
Those submitting nominations detailed their nominees’ accomplishments and initiatives over the past 12 months, including specific examples of their professional achievements and their impacts on the legal industry.
Finally, to arrive at the line-up of 105 Elite Women, the Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer editorial teams reviewed the nominations received and considered the nominees’ meaningful contributions to the legal profession.
Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer congratulate this year’s Elite Women. See more information about the awardees in Australia and in New Zealand.
Queensland Young Lawyers and Otago Women’s Law Society supported the Elite Women 2026 report.
For the 2025 cohort, Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer announced awardees including Eugenia Mitrakas, Nicole Evans, Anne Frances O’Donoghue, Lisa Taliadoros, and Maria Masterantonio.
For the 2024 batch, Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer recognised awardees including Shauna Mounsey, Breellen Warry, Jessica Rippon, Evelyn Jones, Amanda Bedford, and Brooke Courtney.
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